The First One

Nothing more petrifying than starting. 

Don't believe all the hype about how easy it is. The physical bit is fairly simple, the mental stuff is the challenge. 

So I did what any self respecting novice would do: I downloaded an App. 

From Couch to 5k safely installed on my iPhone, I strapped on my brand new Asics running shoes (properly fitted - apparently I have flat feet, who knew?), bundled the dogs into the car (you really didn't think I was going to do this alone, did you?) and headed down to the North Inch in Perth. 

1.5km of circular pathway on which to fail. 

And it all started fairly well. 

I switched on the app, cranked up the music and started the 5 minute walking warm up which was punctuated only by the dogs both needing to relieve themselves. Fair enough, my warm up now included some unplanned waiting and bending. But the main thing was, I was no longer on the couch. 

But wait! Something was wrong!

Constance, my new training companion, had deserted me in favour of Kylie Minogue. There were no more training commands coming my way! So the next 5 minutes were spent attempting to get the app to talk to me. Forwarding, pausing, and eventually giving up on Kylie altogether.

With Constance safely back in the game we re-started the jog/walk/jog proceedings. 

At first the dogs were not so sure what Mummy was running away from. This caused some concerned looks, checking behind them frequently to see what the threat to my very existence could be, eventually concluding I might actually be doing this because it was raining and deciding to run along beside me.  

Mummy, however, was now feeling that the running bra might actually have been a good purchase after all....and, possibly more alarming, wondering if there is such a thing as a bum bra? Boy, those cheeks can bounce.

Trying not to be distracted by dogs wanting to pee everywhere on this new high speed adventure around the North Inch, and parts of my anatomy clearly wanting to go on their own outing (I was well covered up, do not fear), I started to get into a sort of a rhythm. Only to quickly arrive back at the car. Turns out if you run, you get there faster.

Constance, however, was a wee bit behind.

So, thinking nothing of it, I skipped the warm down and drove home. 

If only I'd switched the app off first. 

Pulling up at the house just in time to hear Constance say "Well Done" the clever GPS thingy on my phone had tracked my whole journey and concluded that me, novice runner, had just completed an amazing 4.02km. Even better I can do a kilometer in just under 10 minutes. Look at me go!

Even I was impressed. 

However what was clear, from the wee line on the map, was that Constance had not been with me for the whole journey, but only half of it. Most inconsiderate. And that most of my first running journey had been, inadvertently I might add, by car. 

So, having (sort of) completed my first "Get off the Couch" attempt, I'm now off to firmly sit on it and figure out the technology side of this running malarkey before I head out next. 

The bum bra will just have to wait.